How to Reverse Leptin Resistance

Leptin is a hormone that is closely related to insulin and is responsible for relaying signals that tell you when you're full, make your body burn fat for fuel and reduce or eliminate stored body fats. But according to Dr. Ron Rosedale, M.D., when you eat excessive carbohydrate-rich foods, especially high fructose corn syrup and refined (white) grains and bread, your body releases too much leptin into the blood stream. This overexposure inhibits the body's ability to understand leptin's messages and leads to obesity as well as diabetes. The only known way to reverse leptin resistance, according to Rosedale, is through proper diet.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Fatty meats

Full-fat dairy

Eggs

Whole grain products

Fruit

Vegetables

Nuts

Coconut

Avocados

Olive oil

Unheated, raw honey

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Instructions

1

Eliminate processed sugars and refined grain products from the diet and replace them with some fruit, unheated honey and minimal amounts of whole grain products (if any at all). Processed sugars including high fructose corn syrup, as well as white, refined grain products, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D., are most responsible for the modern epidemic of leptin and insulin resistance. These foods trigger surges of leptin and other hormones in the blood due to their refined nature, and these surges cause the body to become desensitised to leptin over the course of time. Some raw fruit, unheated honey and whole grain products won't behave this way and do not contribute to leptin resistance.

2

Minimise starches in your diet. Even whole grain products, potatoes and other seemingly healthy starches aren't necessarily ideal for the body, which according to the Weston A. Price Foundation runs best when fat is its fuel source. Starches and fruits should be consumed according to how active a person is over the course of a day. For instance, Dr. Thomas Cowan, M.D., says that your average person only needs 30 to 70 grams of carbohydrates per day, while an endurance athlete might need up to 300 grams of carbohydrates per day. One banana provides about 20 to 24 grams of carbohydrates, one piece of typical bread provides 12 to 20 grams and one medium potato provides 37 grams.

3

Eat plenty of protein from the right sources. Eat meat, as well as some eggs and milk, especially from organic sources. The best kind of protein to consume for weight loss is raw protein (such as unpasteurised milk, steak tartare and sushi). If eating cooked protein, don't eat too much.

4

Eat all the healthy fats you desire. According to nutritionist Dr. Aajonus Vonderplanitz, vegetable oils are also partially responsible for the current obesity epidemic. And according to Cowan, all hydrogenated fats (which include soybean oil, canola and seed oils), when used as building blocks for constructing and maintaining the body, and more specifically the pancreas, can result in leptin- and insulin-related health issues (including diabetes). The ideal fats to eat are butter, cream, lard, meat fats, cod liver oil, coconut products, avocados and olive oil. Organic and raw fats are always best.

5

Eat more frequently, and eat until satiated each time. According to Matt Stone of 180 Degree Health, overfeeding the right foods actually balances insulin and related hormones, while eating less food and less often actually results in the unstable hormone levels that you are trying to avoid. Many individuals under Stone's guidance have balanced their blood sugar within just one month simply by overfeeding the right foods.

Tips and warnings

Unheated honey does not act like processed/heated honey, according to Vonderplanitz. Instead, unheated honey acts as an anti-nutrient by actually countering the effects of years of ingesting processed sugars. It also provides an insulin-like substance that can help the body process sugar.